Strings
by Short Tulip
Summary: Athena thought that her ability was harmful enough. But a pleading voice could change her perception, and ultimately her life, forever. Cykesquill, High school AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The characters belong solely to CAPCOM.**

 **Strings  
Chapter 1**

"Attention to Athena Cykes from Class 2-A. Please report to the staff room immediately. I repeat: Attention to Athena Cykes from Class 2-A. Please report to the staff room immediately."

I groaned in exasperation.

"Whoa, 'Thena." Juniper hovered over my desk, giving a look at my recent test score. "It's impressive that you failed Biology test that's not even worth 5% of the course grade."

My head was spinning. This was not supposed to happen. A bright athlete, yes, I was. I could run faster and longer than anyone else in the school could. My stamina would not disappoint me. Give me everything that's related to sports: Cross country, volleyball, or even football. And gymnastics too. I could master them all. All it took for me was a single glance and boom! I could mimic the athlete perfectly even that's the first time I tried out that sport.

But academics?

Rats.

Sheesh, it's just the third week of school and all the teachers knew the athletic but dumb-in-classes Athena. Wait, for PE class, I was an A student. No further arguments.

Juniper, or whom I called Junie, was my only friend. Because we had so many things in common when we were both kids, we became instant friends. The fact that we were always absent during elementary school earned us the title 'The Missing Duo.' Juniper had that strong look, confidence plastered on her face, but she had a frail body. While me, I had an extraordinary ability.

I could hear a person's voices—not from their speeches, but rather from their _hearts_. Peculiar, I know. They could be detrimental at times.

I also thought that's the reason why I shied away from most people that I'd met. I approached new people meekly. They smiled but inside them, the monstrous voice stung my ears.

 _Weirdo. Shut-in.  
Did you know? They said her dad left her when she was still a baby. Poor soul.  
Why would she wear headphones in class? That's so rude._

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I wore this special headphone my mother made for me. It's supposed to keep those voices away, but over time they seemed to be getting worse. But it's even worse when I threw it away. Fainting was not rare for me. Not when I had bare ears. During fifth grade, my mother was furious when she knew that I discarded the headphone at the nearby river just because I couldn't handle the voices, and that it made me look ugly.

All the teachers were informed of my bizarre problem. My mother made efforts to see all the teachers personally, even the Principal, to get me the permission to wear the special headphone during school session. They knew, but sometimes a handful of them just frowned at me when I didn't pay attention to the class. They even accused me of listening to music while they're teaching. One time a teacher confiscated the headphone from my head. Needless to say, it ended with me waking up in the infirmary. That teacher didn't apologize for being the reason I passed out from all these negative emotions.

Junie waved the test paper in front of me. "'Thena, they're calling you again."

I mumbled so much that I didn't hear the second announcement.

"Right. I'll see you at the space center, Junie."

As I walked out from the class, Juniper bid me goodbye.

The staff room's environment was always gloomy. I could also say the people working in it were not… pleasant.

I quickly took a seat to face my grumpy Biology teacher. I swore in the name of this school that it felt like an eternity listening to his sermon about the importance of Biology in life. He even went as far asking, "Honestly, Cykes. What do you wanna be when you grow up?"

"I don't know. Maybe just a 'normal' person…?" I laughed sheepishly.

He couldn't digest the joke, and I knew it by the way he narrowed his eyes on me. But I truly meant it. I would trade anything in the world for a normal hearing.

"Cykes, I know it's just the beginning of the school, but I…"

I couldn't hear anything after that.

As a fate was destined for me, I turned my head to the right.

Ah, it seemed like an upperclassman got reprimanded too. He had this unruly but shiny black hair. Tall, 6 feet maybe, I don't know. I couldn't make up his height when he's still sitting.

He's currently in the same position that I was in. He probably got low grades. Or caught playing truant, or smoking at the rooftop. That guy was a prototype for every school's delinquent. He, too, didn't pay any attention to the female teacher sitting in front of him. All he did was stare at the floor.

"Simon Blackquill. I'm talking to you." She tried to tap him on the shoulder.

In that instant, he caught her hand in reflex. "I'm listening."

And at the same time, he caught me looking at him. In the corner of his gray eye, he shot a sharp glare at my face.

 _The HELL are you looking at?_

Quickly I turned to my teacher, who didn't even notice that my mind was lingering all over the staff room but him. My heart dropped the moment I heard this mystery guy's hoarse voice. He was intimidating. My goodness. I got to tell Juniper about this.

The bell rung, signifying the break time was over. Even if the teachers used my break times to scold me, I was glad they didn't hold me past school hours. 1 minute at school seemed forever to me, except physical activities. They kept me alive.

I heard the chairs to my right squeaked as this 'Blackquill' guy stood up. From what I could make of, the teacher had not finished lecturing him. He walked to the door and stopped. What he said next altered my life ever since. And he left with the door unclosed.

I was to follow him. I said the usual 'okay,' 'I'll try,' and whatever phrases that I could provide to my teacher so he knew that I was in a hurry.

"Cykes," my teacher halted me, sounding concerned. "Please, if you have any problems, you can just talk to me, okay?"

"Uh, yeah, sure." I gave him a reassuring smile and left.

I ran out to the hallway, and the guy was nowhere to be found.

My hands were shaky, legs wobbly, and I had to lean on the wall to collect myself from collapsing.

In forlorn, heartbroken voice, he said:

 _You can hear me, right?_

…

…

… _Save me._

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey guys! Sorry to keep you guys waiting. School and work came crashing on me. I had this chapter for a long time stored in my PC. Thanks for leaving a review and following + favorite! You guys mean the world to me.

 **Disclaimer: Ace Attorney universe and characters belong to their rightful owner, CAPCOM.**

 **Strings  
Chapter 2**

I returned to my seat just a second before my English teacher strutted in. Juniper was in a different class. She had a penchant for studying—give her anything, she would ace it. No jokes. She was placed in Class 2-B while I rotted in Class 2-A. Weird, I know right. The teachers assumed that they would place dumbest students first so that they would receive more attention. That's why I was in the A class while Juniper's in the B class.

But like just now, she frequently came to my class to give me some bento that she made at home. What a sweet girl.

Needless to say, I didn't get along with anybody in the class. The assigned seating was boring too. I wished I could sit beside the windows so I could gaze at the blue sky; at the very least that would calm me from my classmates' overwhelming emotions.

I pulled out a yellow encased phone from my bag and started texting Junie vigorously.

 _Junie, you won't believe me._

 _What? You fail your English quiz this time?_

 _No. Serious talk. So there's this guy._

 _OMG YOU GOT A CRUSH_

 _BIG NO, JUNIE. Listen to me please. He spoke to me._

 _And how is that serious unless he asked you out?_

 _Junie, he spoke to me through his heart._

 _Aw, aren't you a bit romantic_

 _Please, Jun. Literally. He spoke to me through his heart. I can hear that. My weird ability, remember?_

 _Oooh, now I get it. WAIT WHAT_

 _CAPS JUNIE_

"Cykes. What did I say about cellphone policy in my class?"

Uh-oh. Seemed the teacher busted me this time. She held out her hand, and I promptly placed my phone there. _Good timing, Cykes_.

School went by really slow when you're stuck in the class with the teacher that you hated the most.

* * *

 **Space Center**

"Uhh, hey Junie. Aren't you a bit too early?"

My mom treated Junie like her own daughter. I mean, she was my only friend and the only one who would venture from the high mountains to the space center that was a few miles apart. I admired her dedication, and how could I not love her?

Juniper rolled around in my twin-sized bed. She was sad that I didn't finish my story about my meeting with this Blackquill guy.

"Thena, serious talk. What happened?"

I began with the tedious details about me being called to the stuff room and ended with my psychic communication with Simon Blackquill.

"Is this the Simon Blackquill from 3-B?"

"I don't know. Never heard of him." Truth was, never too keen in someone else.

"Gee, Thena. Sometimes you have to join the gossip girls. That's how you make friends. Anyway, I know from my classmates that there's a senior who has been repeating school for the past few years."

"Past few years? Wow, I never know someone that dumb. Except my own dumb self."

Juniper held a finger to my face. "Wait up, who said he's dumb? In fact, he's the smartest person in the school."

I tried to put two and two together. But to no avail. "But how?"

"Word is he always fails the finals and entrance exams. Deliberately."

That didn't make sense at all. Why would a smart guy like him purposely fail the exams and stayed in the same year over and over? Didn't he want to go to high school and college or maybe university? Something didn't match up.

"Maybe you could see and find out what's wrong with him."

"Huh?"

Then Junie laid out all the plans she had thought of while making her way to the space center. My mom did her researches here in the space center with her close friend/co-worker, Miss Aura. Aura had been a quiet, mysterious person. Actually, she gave the same vibes like those of Blackquill when he glared at me. I wondered why.

Eventually I fell asleep at the voice of Junie blabbering about brilliant plans that she would make me do to get close to Blackquill.

* * *

Dinner time came.

I sat at the table while Mom was setting all the plates and cutleries. Juniper had long gone after she realized I had dozed off at her suggestions. I lifted my face to meet Miss Aura's menacing face, and gulped. She truly gave the same 'aura' that I felt when I looked at Blackquill.

"Metis, I hope you don't mind but my brother's coming today." She sipped on her coffee. Brother? I never knew that.

"Oh, you mean the one who's interested in psychology, right?"

"Duh, do I look like I have a lot of siblings? I only have one and he's giving me a lot of headaches. Major problem." Miss Aura replied snarkily.

"I know, I know." Mom smiled back at her.

The door to the dining room slid open. That must be Miss Aura's brother. Mom put some of the pasta into my plate and I quickly dug it with my fork. I paid no attention to him as he pulled the chair in front of me and sat. Why did I suddenly feel terrified?

It's when Miss Aura started talking that I was called to see who was her little brother.

My fork dropped, clanging against the wooden table.

"Metis, this is my brother, Simon. Simon, my co-worker, Metis."

Even if Aura introduced them to each other, Simon's gaze was fixed on me.

"She's Athena, Metis' daughter. And stop giving her heebie-jeebies, idiot." Miss Aura scolded.

Why hadn't I realized that Miss Aura's surname was… Blackquill. And to think that they even had the same, looming postures and ominous looks. I excused myself to go to the bathroom and never in my life I walked this fast.

Instead, I headed to my bedroom. Thoughts raced in my mind. Who was he? Why did he want help? Why did he know that I had this weird ability? I was about to open the bedroom's door when a voice stopped me.

And this time I heard the actual voice, not his heart's voice.

"I'm dying."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello everyone! It's been a while. I've been sick for a long time. I missed FanFiction! I just found a strength to write recently, and I spent some time thinking and writing. I am planning to update this story every week. Most likely there will be 10 chapters. Thank you and please enjoy this story.

Disclaimer: Ace Attorney belongs to their rightful owner, CAPCOM.

* * *

 **Strings**  
 **Chapter 3**

I stopped walking. Dead in my tracks.

Slowly I turned my head.

His eyes were menacing, as always. He was leaning his back on the wall on the opposite side of my bedroom door.

That was terrifying. I didn't even hear his footsteps. Was he following me?

"I'm dying."

I was not sure how to answer that. It creeped me out that he knew about my abilities, even without us explicitly knowing each other. I never even seen him before.

"W-what do you mean?" I stuttered. As much as I wanted to have a normal conversation, I couldn't because we kind of started off in a wrong way.

"I… Nothing." He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and walked away. I could hear Miss Aura shouting from the dining room. She was asking Simon if the "princess is okay," and I knew she was talking about me. I made them worried by leaving the dining room when I barely finished the dinner.

But I still stood there in front of the door.

What? What was he trying to say?

There was one way to find out. His heart.

 _Okay, Athena. Calm down. Close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. You know how to do this. On the count of 3… 2…_

 _I'm sorry. We've tried everything we could…_

 _My sister cannot know this._

 _Of course, your medical records are confidential._

I felt a sharp pain shooting through my head. What's that?

 _A flashback? It was in a hospital too._

He stopped midway to the dining room. Without turning his head, he spoke coldly.

"Didn't your mother tell you that it's rude to look inside someone's head without asking for permission?"

"Sorry! I didn't mean to." I quickly apologized. God, I didn't know he could tell when somebody tried to look inside his heart.

"This is why I don't like imps."

"Wha-!?"

 _He called me an imp?! How rude. I'm just trying to help him. And he's one the who sought my help._

He sighed.

"Just pretend this conversation never happened." And then he went back to the dining room.

I could still hear Miss Aura's voice from here. She was somewhat annoyed when her brother returned to the table without me.

I dropped to the floor. So he wasn't kidding when he said he's going to die? The flashback was surreal. It felt like my own flashback. Like both of us shared the same… soul.

I shook my head. Maybe it's my imagination. Maybe it's because I was exhausted. I tried to dismiss those voices.

But then why did a tear roll down my cheek?

* * *

It's lunch break and I was called to the staff room again.

"Again, 'Thena? You just met the teacher yesterday. What happened?"

"I wish I could know the answer too. Sorry, Junie."

She looked bummed out because she really wanted to talk to me about the Blackquill guy. After I told Junie that she didn't have to come to the Space Center after school, I walked into the staff room when I spotted a familiar figure. My suspicions were confirmed when I took a seat in front of my Biology teacher.

Simon Blackquill sat in the very chair next to me.

 _Oh great, after what we had yesterday…_

My teacher jumped straight in. "Cykes, I have bad news and good news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Bad news…?"

"I looked at your coursework over the entire year. They were pretty abysmal."

 _Ouch._

"I'm certainly aware of that." I defended myself.

Blackquill remained quiet.

"At this rate, you won't be going to the gymnastics regionals."

"What!?" I practically screamed at him. This was unbelievable. They're going to kick me off the team just because I got bad grades?

"You have good news too. Which is why I bring Blackquill here."

Blackquill and I exchanged looks with each other.

"He's at the top of his class every year. Knows his way with science. He can tutor you."

"No, thank you," I spoke nonchalantly and stood. I suddenly remembered that I wasn't even close to the team members. The only reason why they let me on the team was that I always saved their sorry asses by accumulating the points at the vault and balance beams.

 _Maybe this was a sign that I should take a break from the team._

Why did I rationalize this? I loved sports, and gymnastics was everything for me.

"Are you sure-"

"Yes, and thank you for the suggestion."

Blackquill tried to grab my forearm but I was faster than him.

I slid the door close behind me when a voice startled me.

"You're not going to the regionals, Athena?"

 _Perfect, somebody heard our conversation and it was none other than the team leader, Julie._

"Yeah, I had to focus on my academics."

"Oh, too bad," she said with a smirk. At first, Julie tried to act buddy-buddy with me but I could not stand her 'other' voice. I couldn't wear headphones during gymnastics sessions, so my mom gave me a set of custom-made earplugs. It's even worse than the headphones that I wore. It barely filtered those negative voices.

At the same time she's showering me with cheap compliments about my appearances and my gymnastics skills, her voice told otherwise. _Pathetic, idiot, cocky brat._ And the list went on and on.

I was not really interested in her friendship and she started being hostile to me. I didn't do anything wrong, I swore. Her friends tried ganging up on me one time the coach praised my double front tuck.

"It's about time you leave the team, too."

"Excuse me?"

 _We never liked you anyway. Don't think you're special in the comp team because you're younger._

I didn't realize that I clenched my fists so hard that I was ready to give her something that she really deserved.

The door opened, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"She's going to the competition."

"Simon!" Julie smiled sheepishly. She was surprised when Blackquill spoke up to her. "What are you talking about? Of course she's going to the regionals. We're just discussing how to make it happen." Her face turned red from embarrassment. She had a crush on Blackquill?

"I see. Don't worry about that part. I'm going to help her with school."

"Oh, you're so kind, Simon!"

"I just want my girlfriend to do her best."

The moment Simon dropped that line, time stopped for me.


End file.
